Posts Tagged: Audiobook

Monday, July 01, 2013

Review: Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

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I received this book for free from Simon & Schuster Audio in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Wallbanger by Alice ClaytonWallbanger by Alice Clayton
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio on May 7th 2013
Genres: Adult, Romance
Source: Simon & Schuster Audio
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three-stars

The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she’s gaining an—um—intimate knowledge of her new neighbor’s nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy’s athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed “dating hiatus,” and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly. . . .

Within the first 5 minutes of this audiobook I was sure I’d made a very bad decision. The narrator was so extremely into conveying what she was hearing next door that I closed my window fearing the neighbors would hear what I’m sure sounded like crazy sexcapades. But then the meowing started, and I almost peed my pants! Yep – you have my heart if you can make me laugh!

Wallbanger is, well, about a wall banger <– some genius deductions at work! Caroline who has just moved to this new apartment is quickly finding out that her neighbor is a little… this guy can make a girl meow, that’s all I’m saying! This book is more a comedy than steamy romance, though. I mean we hear some craziness going on next door and we get some hot scenes eventually but the whole book is a serious case of comedic sexual tension. With Caroline’s loud personality and Simon’s sense of humor, there is a lot of entertainment stemming from their relationship, not to mention through the rough chemistry, but you have to have patience. A lot of patience. Which I don’t really have. The characters are well fleshed out with definite striking personalities – even the side characters had me smirking. So it’s a fun ride to see them meet, make fun of each others’ business, flirt, tease – which is followed by more teasing, more flirting, more teasing, etc, etc. Eventually I realized I’d lost some interest. Now I will admit that adult romances are not my forte, so I’m not especially surprised that I enjoyed this less than those who drool on this genre, however it was still a good audiobook. Actually I think the audio made this book even funnier because the narrator was amazing with all of her hilarious sound effects. Not one I’d listen to without ear-buds, but I’m pretty sure I liked this more on audio than I would have otherwise.

To get back to the main character for a minute, Caroline has a little trouble with her O lately. Well – it’s gone. She’s come to think of this lost O as its own character. She talks to it, we see her plead and get pissed at it. This was pretty funny at the beginning because just realizing she was talking to her O like it was a person made me giggle. She even calls it a bitch at one point, but aside from those few funny bits I mostly found it cheesy. Like forced humor. Or maybe I’ve been desensitized from Sex and the City? I did, though, love Caroline’s cat! This little fella is adorable and all kinds of crazy for Purina (the meowing sex lady- duh!)! I think this was a nice touch to the book – he even gets his own POV for a chapter at the end which is hilarious!

While I did enjoy this book for the most part – some I even loved – I simply was not the right genre reader for it. Wallbanger does have a lot of heart, a swoony guy, and a happy ending – all the makings of an instant hit for any adult romance fanatic!

three-stars

3 Hot Espressos

Review: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Review: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Posted by on 06/13/2013 • 26 Comments

Am I maybe getting tired of New Adult a bit? Although I don’t feel I’ve read that many, I did read the top of the crop first. Ten Tiny Breaths was far from a bad book, I just can’t say it’s one of my favorites. The main – and really only – problem was that I got bored with the storyline that seemed to go nowhere for a while.

One thing to note in this New Adult novel is how the setting is not at college – or at any school – like most. Kacey is skipping college to be able to take care of her little sister after her parents died in a car accident. I found this gave a fresh standpoint; Kacey needs to become completely independent,…

Review: If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones

Review: If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones

Posted by on 06/04/2013 • 13 Comments

As my first Adult Romance novel on audiobook I was a little unsure of what to expect. In the end I’m glad I tried it; it was a pretty good book and the narrator was fantastic. Being an audiobook had me especially concerned, I mean, there were ways this could have been a complete disaster with a lot of giggling on my part and embarrassment for the narrator’s sake, but there was none of that. She didn’t reenact the sexy scenes with awkward moaning or anything of the sort. It was no different than reading the words off the pages, really. She was great at bringing the character’s voice to life, though.

This was a romance through and through, and thus a little out of my comfort zone as adult…

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Posted by on 04/16/2013 • 31 Comments

A powerfully emotional novel, If I Stay is a journey through life and death, in the eyes of a young girl who has lost just about everything.

After a disastrous car accident, Mia finds herself looking down at her own battered body, barely alive. This is one case where, immediately, you get a feel of who these people are, their realness, the love they have for each other. With only a few minutes of getting to know them before the accident, I already felt a connection with Mia and her whole family, turning an already emotional novel into a gutting one. Mia’s loss and grief is tangible through Gayle’s effortless writing style. It’s a tragic tale of unimaginable life changing loss that will make you thankful for everything and everyone…

Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Posted by on 04/02/2013 • 35 Comments

Ready Player OneErnest Cline Genre: YA Dystopian Publication date: April 2nd 2013by Poppy

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune–and remarkable power–to whoever can…

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Posted by on 03/27/2013 • 45 Comments

The Fault in Our StarsJohn Green Genre: YA Contemporary Publication date: January 10th 2012by Dutton Books

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs… for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to…

Review: Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Review: Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Posted by on 03/18/2013 • 31 Comments

Already being a big fan of Courtney Summers since I read This Is Not a Test, I knew before going into this that it was going to be a ride with a lot of feels! So much feels!

Parker is the definition of a snarky bitch. She has an attitude you want to slap her for, but as a protagonist she’s especially amusing and definitely entertaining. The used-to-be cheerleading captain turned angry emo tells us that something has happened to this girl to change her so drastically. This “something” is told to us via strange behavior from Parker which seem insignificant at first, but as the book progresses the feeling gets more urgent, and is mixed with flashbacks that leaves us wondering what the heck exactly happened here. These flashbacks…

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Posted by on 03/12/2013 • 38 Comments

Before I FallLauren Oliver Genre: YA ContemporaryPublication date: October 25th 2011by HarperCollins

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death–and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing

-This novel was listened to via audiobook-  Having heard numerous incredible reviews on this novel, I…